


Ambassador Katara

by gemgirl28



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Ambassador Katara, F/M, Im having an existential crisis over the word chose, One Shot, Past Aang/Katara (Avatar), Past Mai/Zuko (Avatar), Pining, Post-Canon, Toph knows everything, Zuko is a lovesick turtleduck, because lol canon is what i make it, but with a twist, ignoring the comics and lok, still not entirely sure ive got it all right
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-08
Updated: 2020-10-22
Packaged: 2021-03-07 22:29:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 14,386
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26895229
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/gemgirl28/pseuds/gemgirl28
Summary: The new Ambassador program created during the third annual peace treaty conference is Zuko’s favorite peacetime program for all of about 20 minutes. That is, until Katara's decision is announced.
Relationships: Katara/Zuko (Avatar)
Comments: 28
Kudos: 171





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I'm not sure which fic it was, but an author listed out Zutara tropes at the end of the story and one of them was "Ambassador Katara to the Fire Nation", which I LOVE as a storyline but of course I had to go with "well what if she was an Ambassador but not to the Fire Nation?" and that's how this happened.

The new Ambassador program created during the third annual peace treaty conference is Zuko’s favorite peacetime program for all of about 20 minutes.

There had been Ambassadors before the Hundred Years War, but that all went out the window when his great-grandfather attacked the Air Nomads. It had taken quite a bit of negotiation over the past three years to work out the details, but now the Nations had agreed to create a program where each country sent representatives to split their time between their home country and the one they would be Ambassador to. Each nation chose their delegates, but it was up to the delegates to choose where they wanted to go.

Zuko does his best to convince himself that the only reason he is excited that Katara has accepted to represent the Southern Water Tribe is because it means one of his friends will consistently be around the palace. It has absolutely nothing to do with the fact that he and Katara are both single at the same time and _definitely_ has nothing to do with his lingering feelings for Katara.

(But he’s never been good at lying, even to himself).

Mai’s departure a year ago had been quiet, her decision to pursue a life where she wasn’t forced into politics was largely unnoticed by the public. Aang and Katara’s split six months ago had made international news. Everyone was talking about how handsome the Avatar was now that he was taller. Zuko was certain he wasn’t the only one wondering about Katara’s affections, but she didn’t come up as much in the news.

He eagerly awaits the announcement of Katara’s decision, of where she will spend six months out of the year for the next five years, and he makes the mistake of already picking out a room for her (closer to his chambers but not so close that it arouses suspicion) when her decision is announced.

She’s going to Ba Sing Se as an Ambassador to the Earth Kingdom.

Zuko doesn’t hear anything after Katara’s announcement over the ringing in his ears. Thank Agni his Uncle forced him to take an assistant last year, otherwise he wouldn’t have notes on who his ambassadors actually would be. He’s too busy trying to come up with reasons why Katara would pick the Earth Kingdom over the Fire Nation, would pick anything over _him_ , but he quickly comes up with an answer that makes his stomach sink. He’s sure Toph can hear his heart stop from across the room but thankfully she doesn’t say anything.

_Katara doesn’t have any feelings for him._

It hurts, this realization that his feelings are one-sided, that he’s longing for something that will never be reciprocated. But he’s excellent at listing his own failures, and the list is enough to prove to himself that Katara does not, has not, and never will have feelings for him.

Coming to terms with this is the only reason he’s able to stand up, walk over, and congratulate Katara after the assembly is over. If anyone notices how weak he sounds, no one says a thing.

“You’re going to do great things in Ba Sing Se,” he softly offers. She smiles up at him and he’s certain his heart is going to burst right out of his chest and she’s going to have to heal it all back up. He almost misses the way her smile doesn’t quite reach her eyes.

“Thank you. I know that Amarok is excited to be working with you as well,” she replies. Her voice sounds surer than she looks.

He should leave it at that, he should turn and introduce himself to his new Ambassadors, but he’s always had a masochistic streak, so instead he asks, just loud enough for her to hear over the rumblings of the room, “I can still write to you though, right?”

Her letters had always been a spark of joy in his otherwise monotonous days, and he couldn’t stand to lose them. He realizes he might not have conveyed that well as she stares up at him with a confused look on her face.

“It’s not that I don’t trust Amarok, I’m sure he’s going to do great. It’s just- I just,” he stammers, trying to keep the words _I think I’m in love with you_ from spilling from his lips, “I trust you more than anyone. And I… I also enjoy hearing from you.” Her growing grin finally reaches her eyes. “I would hate to take up your time, I’m sure you’ll be busy in Ba Sing Se, so I’ll try to keep the politics to a minimum, but I-”

“Of course, Zuko. I love hearing from you as well. Don’t worry about the politics, if it’s something you really feel like you need a second opinion on, of course I’ll help.” She reached out and squeezed his arm in reassurance, and now he’s certain his heart has stopped and she’ll have to restart it. All he could do was smile and give a small nod before they were both whisked away to meet the new teams they would be working with.

He doesn’t have a chance to speak with her again before he has to head back to the Fire Nation. She hugs him goodbye but he finds he can’t speak, he can only hug her back and hope that it conveys all the swirling emotions he’s facing.

It’s easy to distract himself with work upon his return to the Palace. There is always something to be done in rebuilding a nation after a hundred years of war, and just because he has representatives around regularly to negotiate with doesn’t mean there’s any less work to be done. Fortunately Toph travels back with him and helps him feel out the Ambassadors like she did with his council in his first year as Fire Lord.

She briefs him on the team in his office after they had been in the palace for a month. “So overall, you got pretty lucky with your team. No one wants to kill you, and considering how many assassination attempts we dealt with your first year, I’d say that’s a win. The guys from Ba Sing Se and the Southern Water Tribe are actually excited to be working with you, so that’s a win too. You’re going to have to get used to the chick from Omashu hitting on you. I know, I know, you aren’t ‘looking for a relationship right now’ but she is and she thinks you’re hot, so be ready for that.” Zuko is certain his face is as red as his tunic as this point, and he’s thankful that Toph can’t see his embarrassment, though he’s sure she can feel it. “I think the only one you’re going to have trouble with is the guy from the Northern Water Tribe. He seems to like being stubborn for the sake of being stubborn.”

“A concept you are familiar with, I’m sure,” he stated dryly, earning him a punch to his arm.

“I’m only stubborn about things that really matter.”

He shot her a blank stare he knew she couldn’t see. “You once bent a prison around one of my council members because he offered you the wrong kind of tea.”

Toph merely shrugged, an innocent look plastered on her features. “It really mattered to me what kind of tea I had that day.”

Zuko snorted and began sorting through the pile of papers on his desk. “Well, thanks for your help, as always. How much longer will you be staying?”

“Aang’s going to take me to Omashu after his visit next week. You owe me a sparring session before we go.”

Zuko groaned to himself. He was certain his knees still hadn’t recovered from their last sparring session, but he knew that fighting was one of the easiest ways to keep Toph happy. He couldn’t help the brotherly affection he had for Toph and his desire to keep her around.

“Alright fine, but you have to put everything back when we are done, Melon-Lord.”

She cackled as she walked out of his office, her laughs echoing off the walls. He sighed and returned to his pile of papers when _it_ caught his eye.

With all the work he had been doing, he had almost forgotten he was the one who wanted to write to Katara, but it seemed she still wrote to him first. He carefully picked up the scroll, removing the blue ribbon with shaking fingers, and read over the message three times.

_Dear Zuko,_

_I figure you’re too busy saving the world to start a message, so I’ll go first. I hope your new Ambassador team is treating you well. Keep an eye out for Nanouk though, I don’t hear great things about him._

_After what happened during the war, I never thought I would willingly live in Ba Sing Se again, but I find I’m enjoying it. It helps that there isn’t a secret organization ruling the city, and that people can freely pass between the rings. It doesn’t hurt that I get to see your uncle regularly, either. After my first official day he came over with a basket of pastries, a vase of fresh flowers, and a box of new tea to congratulate me. My lonely days are easier knowing he’s always so welcoming._

_How is your education reform going? I know that’s been a tough one to get past your council. You should ask Amarok for support. He worked with Dad on the school in the South and could help with some logistics._

_I hope I get to see you soon. Will you be hosting another gala for your birthday this year? Sokka still talks about all the food from the banquet._

_Yours,_

_Katara_

Zuko has to set the letter down and force himself to work through his meditation breathing techniques to settle his heartbeat before he can process the letter. He finally manages to scrape out a reply and passes it to the guard posted at his door for delivery before he can second guess what he’s written.

For the next three months, he writes to Katara as soon as her replies come in. He thinks he should at least take a day or so to compose his responses but he just can’t bring himself to hold back, not from her. He decides to have a birthday party, though on a much smaller scale than last year.

(He doesn’t even try to lie to himself that the only reason he’s throwing the party is because Katara said she would come. As much as he hates that she doesn’t reciprocate his feelings he can’t help but give in to any chance of seeing her.)

Because of her duties, Katara is only able to come in the day before his party and will have to leave the day after. But he’s determined to make the most of his time with her, with all of his friends, so he works around the clock leading up to his birthday so his schedule is free for his friends when they arrive.

Still, the two days passed in a blur, and he never found a moment to talk to Katara alone. It was hard for him to focus on Sokka’s jokes or Suki’s stories of Kyoshi or Toph’s digs at Aang and Aang’s embarrassed retorts when all he wanted to do was pull Katara aside and talk to her. About what, he wasn’t sure, but something in the back of his mind told him that he would get peace if he just got her alone.

He had no such luck. Though he was able to snag three dances with her during his party, he was never able to steal her away from the dance floor before another person stepped up to ask her for a dance. It felt like his heart was imploding all over again.

He was surprised but mostly thankful that Toph didn’t bring it up. Normally she would have loved the chance to tease Zuko for being a lovesick turtleduck, but for whatever reason she remained silent on the topic. It made Zuko suspicious, but he decided to take the silence for the gift that it was.

Katara leaves the next day and he can only give her another hug, another feeble attempt to press his emotions into the embrace, and then she is gone again.

The next three years pass like this, with rushed reunions and lengthy letters in between. She tells him about healing in between her Ambassador duties, about having tea with his Uncle, about visits from her family that are never long enough.

He tells her about the changing seasons in the Fire Nation, about his struggle to find someone to train with that won’t hold back on him, about how much he struggles with adjusting to his mom’s return and her new family.

 _I thought it would be easy,_ he wrote, _to have her back in my life. For so long all I wanted was for her to come home. Maybe I’m an ungrateful fool for feeling this way, but I can’t help but wonder how different things could have been if she didn’t give up her memories of us. I’m sorry, I’m sure this isn’t something you want to hear about._

She wrote back with nothing but support and understanding. It shouldn’t surprise him, but sometimes it still does, how she could heal him with just her words.

 _I know what you’re thinking,_ she replied, _that it’s selfish of you to complain about having your mother back when I’ll never get mine back. There are very few things I wouldn’t do to have just another day with her. But I don’t think it’s the same at all. Our mothers were taken from us, yes, but then your mom had a choice, and I’m not sure it was the right one. All you can do though, is talk to her about it and work through it together._

His counselors push for him to consider marriage, their desire for an heir a thin cover for their hope Zuko would marry one of their daughters. He finally breaks one day, lashing out and declaring that he would marry who he wanted, when he wanted, and anyone that suggested otherwise would be removed from their position. Toph and Aang are visiting during that session, and Zuko doesn’t miss the shocked look on Aang’s face or the knowing look on Toph’s. Toph is still surprisingly quiet on the topic, but again he takes her silence as a gift.

He sees Katara in Omashu not long after for a trade summit. He finally manages to get her alone after dinner. They walk around the city as Katara tells him the story of making up “Pentapox” during the war. He can barely hear her over the pounding of his heart, and by the time they get back to the castle, he hasn’t really said anything to her.

The next day he has to return to the Fire Nation, and he finds he’s moodier than he has been in years. He tries adding extra training time to his schedule, focuses on meditation more, he even tries a tea Uncle swears is calming, but nothing can snap him out of his funk. That is, until he gets a letter from Katara. He immediately replies, his heart feeling lighter than it has in the two weeks since Omashu, and finds himself wondering why something as simple as a letter from Katara would affect his mood so much.

_Because you’re in love with her, stupid._

The realization shouldn’t surprise him, but it does. Somewhere over the years his feelings had changed from uncertain to definite romantic. He realizes, as he sits alone in his office, that he needs to tell Katara about his feelings. Even though he’s certain she’ll reject him (there’s no way he’s worthy of her feelings), he realizes that hearing it from her will give him the chance to move on.

He decides he needs to tell her in person. While there isn’t much they hold back in their letters, he knows this needs to be a face to face conversation. With the seventh annual peace treaty coming up, and being hosted in the Fire Nation, he recognizes it’s the best chance he’ll get. Still, he’s learned over the years that getting Katara alone is practically impossible, and he might need to enlist help.

He spends a month debating which of his friends to ask. While Sokka might be one of his best friends, he decides it would be too awkward for Zuko to discuss his feelings for Sokka’s sister with him. Talking to Aang also falls under awkward (despite their claims of the breakup being mutual, Zuko always suspected Aang wasn’t quite as willing to end things). While Suki is a good friend, and more than capable of offering advice, Zuko worries she would tell Sokka by accident and then the awkward “I have feelings for your sister” would still come up.

That just leaves Toph, who is still suspiciously quiet whenever Zuko’s heart goes crazy around Katara. He’s certain Toph has put it together, and wonders why she doesn’t tease him relentlessly for it. Still, she’s someone Zuko trusts, and he decides he can always bribe her into silence with sparring.

Toph arrives in the Palace a month before the peace treaty summit. Zuko waits for Toph to find him to bring it up, knowing the younger girl would track him down when she felt like it. Sure enough, Toph found him in his study one night after dinner and plopped down in a chair. She asked him about various topics for the upcoming conference before he worked up the nerve to bring up Katara.

“Toph… there’s something… I- I uh…”

“Oh Sparky just spit it out.” Zuko fought from rolling his eyes at Toph’s usual bluntness.

“I need a favor,” he cautiously began. Toph sat up straighter in her chair, always eager for something that she could use to her benefit.

“Oh? What do you need help with?” she asked, a wicked smirk on her features.

“I’m in love with Katara,” he blurted out, and Toph’s features immediately sobered. He hadn’t meant to blurt out his feelings, he’d only planned on asking Toph to help him get Katara alone, but here they were. They sat in awkward silence for a few moments before Toph spoke up again.

“So… how can I help you?” Zuko found himself frowning. Toph never sounded unsure of herself, yet her voice sounded as weak as he felt.

“I want to tell her, but I can never get her alone for more than a few minutes.”

Toph nodded, biting her lip as she thought it over. “She’s sticking around for a week after the conference, right?”

He nodded, then remembered who he was with. “Yes, she is.”

Toph smiled and abruptly stood up. “Consider it done,” and then she was gone, out the door before Zuko could open his mouth for a reply.

Toph spent the next month avoiding one on one situations with him, and he finally accepted that he’d have to trust her to help him, even if all he wanted to do was interrogate her until she told him her plan.

Still, his work never failed to keep him busy, and dignitaries were arriving each day in preparation for the conference. Before he realized it, the peace treaty conference was here and so was Katara.

He did his best during the meetings to focus on what was being said, but at this point new topics were rarely presented. It was mostly a renegotiation of the original treaty, a way to ensure the nations were all doing their part to maintain the peace.

Instead, he found his gaze drifting to Katara more and more. It was easy to allow himself to study her when she was speaking on the topics that affected the Southern Water Tribe. He thought back to the girl he once (stupidly) tied to a tree and compared her to the woman standing before him. It felt like a lifetime ago that they had been on opposite sides, and yet he still couldn’t help the nagging voice in his head that reminded him he would never make up for his mistakes. He could spend his lifetime working for peace and still never make up for all the hurt he caused.

(All the hurt he caused her.)

Finally the conference was over and he dove back into his work, trying to distract himself from remembering Toph’s promise. He saw Katara at meals and sparred with her twice. They were the most exhilarating fights he’d had in years, but he still couldn’t tell her.

The night before Katara was scheduled to leave, Zuko shut himself in his office. He had decided Toph was playing an elaborate prank on him and would never help him when the demon herself appeared at his door.

“You look kind of tired, Sparky. Don’t you think you should head to bed soon?”

He rolled his eyes and looked up at Toph. “How do you know that I look tired?”

Toph’s wicked grin spread on her face, before settling into a softer smile. “I don’t. But I do hear the turtleducks get pretty hungry at night. It might be relaxing to feed them before bed. You might want to go tend to them.”

He stared at her dumbly for several moments before he understood what Toph was saying. He stood abruptly, straightening his robes and retying his hair. As he started past Toph, she suddenly hit him with a loaf of bread. “Doesn’t make sense to feed the turtleducks if you don’t have food Sparky.”

He took the bread and tucked it into his sleeves. “Thank you, Toph,” and he ran out the door before he had to hear her laugh or tease him.

He found Katara sitting on the bench by the turtleduck pond. He watched her bending shapes with a tendril of water, a fish, a dragon, a fire, shaping and reshaping the water. Here, bathed in the moonlight, in his gardens, he thought he’d never seen a more beautiful sight. His heart swelled with his love for her.

It broke in the next moment, knowing she’d never be able to accept his feelings, but he’d accepted that a long time ago.

He didn’t realize she knew he was there until she spoke up. “Did you need something Fire Lord? Or did you want to stand there all night?”

He cleared his throat and sat on the bench beside her, pulling out the bread from Toph. “Would you like to feed the turtleducks with me?”

She smiled and returned her tendril of water to the pond. He tore the bread in half and passed a piece to her. They sat in silence for a few moments, throwing morsels to the turtleducks, before he spoke up. “I used to do this with my mom. You know when I was a kid.”

She turned towards him slightly with a small smile. “And now?”

He let out a huff of laughter. “I can’t remember the last time I had a moment like this. A moment to just… be.”

She nodded carefully, turning back to the pond. “Yeah, I think I know what you mean.”

They sat in silence again as he finished his piece of bread. He tucked his hands in his sleeves to hide the slight tremor running through them. He didn’t need Katara to pity him, he just needed her rejection.

“Katara, uhm, there’s something I wanted to talk to you about. Actually, something I’ve wanted to say for a while now. I just- I….” he trailed off, his anxiety getting the best of him. Katara reached over and squeezed his leg for reassurance. He gave her a small smile, and despite himself, he took her hand in one of his, gently holding it. When she didn’t pull away, he continued.

“You can’t tell Sokka or Aang this, but you know you’re my best friend, right?”

Katara laughed, a beautiful, ringing sound, before noticing the serious expression he still wore. “Yes, Zuko, and you’re my best friend as well. Why? Is something wrong?”

He took a deep breath and closed his eyes. He couldn’t look at her when she rejected him.

“Katara, I’m in love with you,” the words tumbled from his lips in a rush, and once they started, he found he couldn’t stop. “I have been, for a long time, but I understand that you don’t feel the same. I didn’t want to bring it up, because I didn’t want to risk losing your friendship, but I think a part of me needed to tell you, needed to hear you don’t feel the same, so I could start moving on, because Agni Katara I can’t imagine loving anyone but you, but-”

He was suddenly cut off by the softest lips imaginable pressed against his. His eyes flew open for a moment, just enough to register that _yes Katara was kissing him_ before he closed his eyes and let himself melt into her kiss. She reached up and placed her free hand on the back of his neck, and his free hand made its way to her waist, pulling her closer. He didn’t understand what was happening, didn’t understand _why_ Katara would kiss him before she turns him down, but damnit he was going to enjoy it while he had the chance. So he was surprised when, after a few moments, Katara pulled back, their chests heaving, and asked him, “Who ever said I don’t feel the same?”

He stared at her dumbly, her words replaying in his mind as he struggled to understand their meaning. “But- but I- I mean, you’re _you_ and I’m _me_ and how could I hope for someone like you to love someone like me?”

She rolled her eyes and shifted closer to him. “I thought we left self-deprecating Zuko behind a long time ago.”

He ducked his head, feeling a flush rising on his face. “Uh- well, I mean, there’s some things I feel more confident about, you know, like my duties as Fire Lord, but you?”

She tilted his chin up to meet her eyes. “Don’t tell me you’ve gone and put me on a pedestal as well, Fire Lord.”

He bit his lip, the bitterness in her words hitting his core. He knew that was one of the reasons she and Aang had broken up all those years ago. Aang had idealized Katara, and anything she did that didn’t match his version of her caused a fight.

“No!” he blurted, furiously blushing, before trying for a softer tone. “I mean, no, I recognize you are a complex person who gets emotional but only when it’s about something important. I know you have flaws, Katara, but I love your flaws just as much as your strengths, because they make you, you. If we’re running with the pedestal metaphor, I probably just… dig myself into a hole?”

“And why do you think that is?” she asked in her trademark mothering tone.

“Because you chose Ba Sing Se over here and I figured that was because you didn’t want to be with me,” he blurted out. Well, there it was, the source of all of his insecurities with Katara, spewing from his lips.

Her eyebrows furrowed and she pulled back a little to look at him. “You’ve been in love with me for four years and are just now telling me?”

“Uh- well, yes? Well, I’ve probably been in love with you for longer than that, but that was the first time I put a name to it.”

She frowned at him but her hand found its way to his chest, fingertips grazing before resting over the star-shaped scar hidden beneath his robes.

“Zuko, I chose to serve in Ba Sing Se because I needed to reestablish myself as… as me. Over the years I was with Aang, I hated feeling like I was nothing more than the Avatar’s girlfriend. Like everything I did during the war didn’t matter because it was all for Aang.” She looked up at him as her hand moved from his chest to the scar on his face. “I chose Ba Sing Se because I was afraid of my feelings for you, afraid that if I came here I would make the same mistakes and become nothing more than the Fire Lord’s girlfriend. I never told you because I figured you would end up with some Fire Nation noblewoman, someone who your minister’s would love and your nation would accept.”

Zuko did his best to control his emotions, to keep the hope from swelling even as her words clicked. But his traitorous heart was pounding, and he was certain Katara could feel it under the full moon.

“I don’t care what my minister’s think. I told them, before Omashu, that I wanted to marry someone I love, not someone they pick for me.”

She looked surprised at his statement. “You did?” her voice was barely above a whisper, despite them being the only ones in the garden.

He nodded. “Toph and Aang were there.”

“And your nation?”

His heart was going to jump out of his throat, he was sure of it. “I think,” he winced at how much his voice wobbled, “I think my people would be happy if I was happy. I think they would accept someone who would fight for them. Who would never turn her back on them.”

A smile began to creep across her face. “Zuko, why didn’t you ask me how I felt?”

His hands were definitely shaking now as he reached up to push a loose curl out of her face. “Like I said, I thought because you chose Ba Sing Se, it meant you didn’t love me.”

“And now?”

“Now…I’m not so sure I know anything after all.”

She laughed again, her hand working its way to the back of his neck. “Why don’t you ask me now?”

He took a deep breath and let it out. “Katara, I’m in love with you. How do you feel about me?”

“I think you’re pretty alright,” she teased, but he must have looked like he was going to pass out (he felt like he might pass out) because she quickly corrected herself. “No, Zuko, I think you’re amazing. And I’m in love with you, too.”

He couldn’t fight the grin spreading on his face. “You love me?”

She smiled back. “I do.”

“I love you too.”

And then he kissed her because what else was he supposed to do? Katara loved him, and he loved her. He would kiss her for the rest of his life if she would let him.

Eventually she pulled back, both of their breathing heavy, but still held onto him. “So what happens now?”

He let his fingers trail along her face and neck. “Whatever you want. I think I’m still in shock that you actually love me.”

She gave him a look that was equal parts sympathy and scolding. “I do love you.”

He closed his eyes. He was certain he had never heard a more beautiful sound than her telling him she loved him. “I never let myself consider the possibilities but… I want to be with you, Katara. And I hope you know I would never let anyone dishonor you by calling you anything but Master Katara.”

“You do know aaaalllll about honor, don’t you?” She teased and he groaned, rolling his eyes. “But really, Zuko, I know you wouldn’t. Like I said, my mistakes with Aang were my mistakes. I feel confident I won’t make them again. Besides, I rather like the idea of being your girlfriend.”

“You do?” he asked as his eyes widened slightly, and she laughed.

“Yes, as long as that’s ok with you?”

“Spirits yes it’s more than alright! It’s amazing!” and she laughed again before kissing him.

Eventually they had to separate and head to bed. She claimed he needed to get some sleep but he didn’t need sleep anymore. Katara loved him, and that was all he needed.

She still had to leave the next day for Ba Sing Se, but she kissed him goodbye on the docks in front of everyone. He knew he was blushing as red as his robes when she pulled away, but he didn’t care.

Their letters continued in between quick meetings and stolen moments. He didn’t dare bring up the future, trying to instead focus on the time he had Katara. Despite her reassurance otherwise, he still felt like she would wake up and realize she was far better than him one day. The year passed in a happy blur, and before he knew it they were all back in Ba Sing Se for the eighth annual peace treaty conference.

Zuko was surprised when Katara declined to renew her term as an Ambassador. He waited until after the conference, when they stood on the balcony of his Uncle’s tea shop, to bring up her future.

“So what happens now?” he parroted her words from a year ago. She smiled up at him, running her fingers through his loose hair.

“I think I’d like to focus on healing now. There’s always people that are hurt, or sick, that I can help.”

He ducked his head, hoping he wouldn’t come across as too eager. “There’s people like that in the Fire Nation….”

She pretended to mull it over, tapping the corner of her mouth in thought. “There are, aren’t there?”

He quickly nodded, trying to act like he was playing her game but really praying she’d come back with him. “There are. I think there are a lot of people in the Fire Nation that could benefit from your healing.”

She touched his scar then, gently caressing it. “And you?”

“I think you could heal me far better than anyone else.”

She grinned before pulling him in for a kiss. “Just to be clear, you are asking me to move in with you, right?”

He blushed at the implications and started stammering. “I mean, uhm, you know, you don’t have to move into my rooms, I mean! I want you to, eventually, but not before you’re ready-”

She laughed and cut him off again. “Zuko, do you want me to move into the palace?”

He nodded, not trusting himself to speak. She smiled at him. “Ok, then I’ll come home with you.”

She doesn’t move into the room he picked out all those years ago, but instead chooses the one directly across the hall from him. It makes it easier when they start sharing a bed for them to sneak back and forth, even though he’s certain all the servants and half his council know anyways.

Katara does more than just healing. She makes rounds of the hospitals in the capitals, but she also visits schools and orphanages. She even creates a self-defense school program and teaches classes twice a week on hand to hand combat. He went and watched her teach one day, studying her mix of Kyoshi fighting with her own bending style.

They find time for each other whenever they can. Their relationship only grows stronger with her being in the palace, and he finally starts to believe that she loves him, too. His favorite part of the day is when they go for walks in the gardens after dinner. Sometimes they talk about their days, about their traumatic pasts, about palace gossip they’ve picked up. Sometimes they just walk or sit in silence, content to be in each other’s company. In those moments, Zuko feels more whole than he has in a long time.

He finally worked up the nerve to speak to her father and brother after his birthday party. They pretended to think it over, but both ended up laughing. Both men appreciated Zuko’s sentiment, but knew Katara would always choose for herself.

Their conversation was at least a little helpful for navigating traditions. He knew he could never replace Kya’s necklace, and wanted their opinion on the Fire Nation traditions. Hakoda had shrugged, which Zuko figured was the best he could hope for. Sokka seemed to like the idea, and swore himself to secrecy (minus Suki of course).

Despite his best efforts, Katara knew something was up with him, but he did his best to play his nerves off until his plan was ready.

The night came quicker than he expected, and despite the chaotic nature of their friend group, everything came together exactly like he pictured it. Everyone was visiting, so it was easy to distract Katara during dinner as one by one, each person finished their piece. Finally, when Aang came back in, giving Zuko what he thought was a subtle nod, Zuko cleared his throat and turned to Katara. “How about a walk in the garden?”

She smiled as she nodded, standing to take his hand and follow him outside. He listened to her relay a story about a nurse at the hospital falling in love with one of the patients, and how she hoped they would work out. She didn’t notice until they were at the entrance of the gardens that anything was different.

She blinked, looking around at the lanterns Sokka had designed, Toph had created with her metalbending, and Aang had hung and lit. He watched, a small smile creeping onto her face, as she turned to him, a confused look on her face. “Zuko, what is this?”

He just took her hand and pulled her along. “C’mon, the best part is by the turtleduck pond.”

The closer they got to the pond in the center, the more the lanterns were weaved together with fresh flowers. In the lamplight the gardens looked ethereal, like something from the Spirit World. But Zuko only had eyes for Katara. He saw as her eyes widened in surprise, taking in the sights, spinning around the pond. “Oh Zuko! This is all so beautiful! But why-”

She cut herself off when she saw him holding back. He was sure he looked nervous, but he didn’t care. “Do you like it?”

“Like it? I love it! I’m just wondering why you would go to such trouble?”

He smiled and shook his head, stepping forward to take her hand. “I had help.”

She cocked her eyebrow, suspicion replacing her confusion. “But why….?”

He felt the blush creeping into his face as he cleared his throat. “I love you, Katara, and I thank Agni every day that you love me too. You’ve done so much for me, for my people, and I can never thank you enough. I can only hope that I’m enough for you.”

He got down on one knee, still holding her hand, and pulled out the small box from his robes. He realized they were both shaking, and Katara wiped a tear from her face.

“Katara, will you marry me?”

She nodded, tears fully streaming down her face. “Oh Zuko, yes, yes!” she squealed. She got on the ground with him and kissed him. She finally pulled back and looked down at the open box.

“A ring?” she asked.

He nodded, pulling the ring out and placing it on her hand. “I wouldn’t dare replace your mother’s necklace, and Sokka said that’s more of a Northern Tradition anyway. And your dad said you probably wouldn’t want a tigerseal either.”

She laughed as she admired the ring on her finger. Zuko felt proud of his choice (well, his and Suki’s pick). He had picked a dainty band that swirled to meet a ruby and a sapphire side by side. Small diamonds started on the swirls leading up to the two stones.

She smiled up at him, a smile that left him breathless. “Zuko it’s perfect. Spirits, _you’re_ perfect for me.”

He grinned and kissed her, pulling her close. It was at that moment that their friends chose to emerge from the shadows, announced by Toph letting out a loud whoop.

Zuko broke the kiss, letting his forehead rest on Katara’s. “I suppose I deserve their interruption, given that I roped them into helping me pull this off.”

Katara laughed and pulled him along to greet everyone who was wishing them congratulations.

After a giant hug from Sokka, Aang, and Suki, Toph elbowed Zuko. “I knew you could pull it off Sparky. Took you long enough, but I still won, so that’s all that matters.”

Zuko froze, all of his suspicions resurfacing. “Toph, did you bet on Katara and I ending up together?”

She shot him a giant grin. “Yep! With your Uncle. I have to say, you almost had me break the rules of the agreement but I stuck it out because I knew the payoff would be worth it.”

Zuko rubbed his temples, trying to understand. “You- what agree- Toph what the hell?!”

She let out her signature cackle. “Relax Sparky. Gramps and I have known you guys would end up together since the end of the war. We swore not to interfere though, which made it _very_ annoying at times but _very_ amusing at others.”

Zuko closed his eyes and let his head drop. “All this time, you could feel both of our heartbeats, and you just… let us go on thinking the other didn’t return the feelings?!”

Toph punched him lightly. “We had an exception to the rule. If one of you started dating someone else, we were going to step in. Thank goodness you guys kept pining after each other.”

Zuko sighed but at that moment looked up and caught Katara’s eye. She smiled, pausing in her conversation with Suki, to blow him a kiss. He smiled, unable to contain himself around her.

“You know what Toph? I think you’re right. The payoff is worth it.”

She snorted and punched his arm again. “Of course I am.”

He ruffled her hair and walked over to Katara, picking her up and spinning her around. She yelped but was laughing when he set her down.

“What was that for?” she asked, breathless from the spinning.

“You just make me so happy I can’t help myself.”

Katara rolled her eyes but planted a kiss on his cheek before turning back to Suki. She laced her hand with his and pulled him in the conversation. Sokka clasped a hand on his other shoulder and smiled at him.

Zuko looked around at his circle of friends, at Toph elbowing Aang, Suki talking to Katara, and Sokka laughing at it all. He looked down at where his hand met Katara’s and felt his heart warm. He remembered what they had said, back on Ember Island all those years ago, about being a family. Here in his home, with the people who knew him better than anyone else, he realized they were right.

He turned his attention back to his family, eager to listen to Katara’s plans for their future.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Katara has never been one to second guess her choices. That is, until she decides to serve as Amassador to the Earth King in Ba Sing Se and she watches her best friend's heart break. But she has to do this for herself.
> 
> Right?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really was done with this fic, but then @TheHeavenstillinme09 said they were curios about Katara's viewpoint, and then I couldn't sleep after some family drama last week, and here we are. I'm still having an existential crisis over choose/chose, they don't look or sound like real words anymore. Anyways, I hope you enjoy and would love to see what you think!

Katara has never been one to second guess her choices.

After all, she left her home at fourteen to travel with someone she’d just found in the hopes of getting waterbending training. She started a prison riot to help someone she’d barely met escape slave labor. She healed a town and destroyed a factory because people needed her, and not once did she look back and think she should have done something differently.

Born during a war no one ever thought would end, raised in a land with little room for error in survival, Katara had gotten used to making decisions and sticking to them.

And yet, when her decision to serve as an Ambassador to the Earth Kingdom in Ba Sing Se is announced at the third annual peace treaty conference, and she watches from across the room as Zuko’s face falls, she can’t help but wonder if she made the right choice.

Katara doesn’t miss the murmurs that echo around the hall after her decision is announced. She hears them buzzing around her like mosquitoflies. She knows everyone expected her to choose the Fire Nation, since she’s friends with the Fire Lord, or at the very least the Northern Water Tribe, her sister tribe.

But people seem to quickly forget how sexist the Northern Tribe is, and how she _literally_ had to fight someone to get them to teach her waterbending. Not to mention, she might still be holding a slight grudge that they held back their resources and help when the Southern Water Tribe was facing extinction.

And as for the Fire Lord?

_Zuko………._

The public didn’t seem to care very much when Mai and Zuko broke up about a year ago. She wondered if Zuko had suppressed the news for Mai’s sake. But she clearly remembered the look on Zuko’s face when he told her at the conference last year. It was such a heartbreaking mixture of sadness and relief, like he was hurt that someone else had left him but relieved that he wasn’t in a relationship with someone he didn’t love anymore. He never came out and told Katara that’s what he felt, but he didn’t need to. Somehow they understood each other without ever needing to say a word.

Which is how Katara knew that Zuko was one of the few people who was happy for her when she broke up with Aang six months ago. Katara did her best to ignore the whispers when she entered a trade summit, or a meeting, of how she was crazy for leaving the Avatar.

She had written to Zuko to tell him about the breakup, and she told herself it was merely because he was a friend, a confidant, and a political ally that he was the first one she told.

(But she’s never been good at lying, even to herself).

Katara wanted to go to the Fire Nation to serve as the Ambassador. She had grown used to the warmer weather and often found herself craving Fire Nation food, something she never would have imagined herself doing just four years ago. But mostly Katara wanted to go to the Fire Nation because of her giant crush on the Fire Lord.

She could distinctly point to the moment where her feelings for Zuko had turned from _hatred_ to _friendship,_ when he helped her track down her mother’s killer. And she could point to the moment where her feelings shifted from _friendship_ to _something more,_ when he had jumped in front of lightning for her. She had thought Zuko felt the same, thought he was stealing glances at her as she healed his wound for the same reason she kept stealing glances at him. But then on the morning of his coronation, when she’d gone to help him dress, she saw Mai had beaten her there, and then she kissed Aang in Ba Sing Se, and that was that, until Mai broke up with Zuko a year ago.

There was nothing Katara wanted more than to run across the room and kiss the sadness from Zuko’s face, to wipe away the furrow between his brow, to tell him how much she wanted to be with him and explore where their feelings could take them.

But Katara only broke up with Aang _six months_ ago, and she was still struggling to be acknowledged as Master Katara, not “the Avatar’s girlfriend” again. She couldn’t become “the Fire Lord’s girlfriend” too. She needed to do something for herself, to show the world that she would fight them all if it meant helping people.

Besides, she doesn’t even know for sure if Zuko feels the same way about her. After all, she’s nothing like the Fire Nation Noblewomen. If that’s Zuko’s type, she doesn’t stand a chance of winning his heart. She’s certain he looks like a kicked turtleduck because they are _friends_ and he thought that his _friend_ would be living at the palace six months out of the year.

So Katara does her best to ignore the way Zuko looks heartbroken and tries to take notes on the other Ambassadors she’ll be serving with and before she knows it the assembly is over and the Fire Lord himself is in front of her.

“You’re going to do great things in Ba Sing Se,” he softly says. She smiles up at him but even she can feel how forced it feels. She hates letting him down, but she needs to do this for herself.

“Thank you. I know that Amarok is excited to be working with you as well,” she offers. Somehow her voice sounds surer than she feels.

He looks like he’s having an internal debate, and she sees the conflict in his features before he asks, “I can still write to you though, right?”

And her heart breaks just a little more. His letters always brought joy to her day, wherever she was. She and Zuko had the same terrible sense of humor (according to Sokka), and his letters never failed to make her smile. She can’t help but wonder why he thought she would stop writing him just because she’s in Ba Sing Se. Did he want her to stop writing?

“It’s not that I don’t trust Amarok, I’m sure he’s going to do great. It’s just- I just,” he stammers, and she smiles a little more genuinely at his awkwardness, “I trust you more than anyone. And I… I also enjoy hearing from you.” She’s fully grinning now, loving that _Fire Lord_ Zuko has been replaced by _her_ Zuko, the awkward boy she knows and might be falling in love with. “I would hate to take up your time, I’m sure you’ll be busy in Ba Sing Se, so I’ll try to keep the politics to a minimum, but I-”

“Of course, Zuko. I love hearing from you as well. Don’t worry about the politics, if it’s something you really feel like you need a second opinion on, of course I’ll help.” She reached out and squeezed his arm reassuringly, hoping he can’t feel all the emotions still swirling inside her, just below the surface. He smiled back at her and gave a small nod before they were both whisked away to meet the new teams they would be working with.

She doesn’t have a chance to speak with him again before he has to head back to the Fire Nation. She hugs him goodbye but he’s even more withdrawn than usual, not saying a word when she says goodbye, just nodding and hugging her tight. She blinks in his shoulder, determined not to let him see her cry as he walks away.

(As he walks away from _her_ ).

Its easy to distract herself with work once the peace treaty conference is over. Serving as an Ambassador requires her to use diplomatic skills she never bothered to develop during the war. She divides her limited free time between training (or rather, bending her frustrations out on the training dummy) and seeking advice (served over tea) with Iroh.

The Jasmine Dragon had become a happy spot for Katara and her friends since the end of the war. Simply stepping into the shop and inhaling the unique mix of teas and pastries brought a sense of calm over her. It never hurt that Iroh always sent her home with more tea and pastries than she could ever consume by herself. She wondered if he knew she took them to the hospitals when she did her rounds of healing.

She finds herself drifting to the tea shop almost a month after the peace treaty conference. The day’s meetings were more brutal than usual, and she had almost lost control of her temper five times. She desperately needed a cup of calming tea. Or to get a letter from Zuko.

She sighed as she rounded the corner to head into the tea shop. Despite the fact that he had asked if _he_ could write to _her,_ she had received nothing yet. She could no longer ignore that each day without a letter left her grumpier and moodier. When she stepped inside the Jasmine Dragon, the now familiar scent of tea did little to soften her mood.

Iroh spotted her immediately, calling out “Master Katara! So good to see you!” and waiving her over to his Pai Sho table. She watched as he swiftly defeated his opponent, an older lady who seemed more disappointed to lose Iroh’s company than the game, as he stood and bowed to her.

“My dear, you get better with each game we play!” he exclaimed with a twinkle in his eye.

“And yet, I never seem to be able to beat you,” she grumbled playfully, but bowed and walked away. Iroh smiled at Katara and gestured for her to sit while he prepared a pot of tea and a plate of pastries.

With each sip of her tea, Katara felt herself unwind a little. Iroh sat across from her and reset the table, giving her a pointed look that she knew meant she would have to play a game to appease him. She sighed a little but pushed a tile forward. Iroh grinned back at her as he made his first move.

As they played, Iroh asked her about her duties as an Ambassador, about her work in the hospitals around the city, and about how she was doing adjusting to her role. It was easy to chat with Iroh, to open up and tell her about her struggles with diplomacy. She forgot how cunning Iroh could be, until he asked the one question she needed to answer but had been dreading him asking.

“Not that I don’t enjoy your company, but what is bothering you so much that you seek calming tea for the third time this week?”

She glanced up at him and then quickly back down at the Pai Sho game before her. She murmured, “Your nephew,” under her breath but Iroh still caught it.

“Ah. And what has my nephew done now to upset you so?” he asked knowingly.

She let out a little sigh. “Its more like… what he hasn’t done.” Iroh simply raised an eyebrow, urging her to continue. “I mean, he made a big deal about wanting to write to me, after the peace conference, and now it’s almost been a month and he hasn’t written me! I mean, maybe I’m reading into this too much but I kind of figured I would hear from him by now. At least enough to know he’s safe,” she says, all the words tumbling from her lips in one breath.

She fiddled with a pastry as she waited for Iroh’s response. He took his time, pretending to think over his next Pai Sho move (even though she knew he had at least the next five moves mapped out) before he speaks.

“If it makes you feel any better, I haven’t heard from my nephew since his return to the Fire Nation either,” he begins, and Katara releases a breath of relief. “However, if you are so anxious to hear from him, why don’t you write to him first?”

She bites her lip as she mulls over her answer. Would it be wrong for her to write to Zuko? After all, they were friends.

_Just friends._

“I can’t think of a reason not to,” she carefully replies. Iroh studies her with a look she’s come to recognize from their Pai Sho matches, a look that says he’s calculated all the moves and knows he’s going to win. His face breaks into a grin and she finishes her pastry, trying to think of something to say to change the conversation to anything else before she embarrasses herself. Fortunately, Iroh’s focus shifts to the game before them (where he promptly wins and starts another game).

Katara wrote to Zuko when she got back to her apartment, a quick letter that she hoped was the right balance of friend and political ally. His response came much quicker than she expected, and she was glad Toph wasn’t around to pick up on her racing heartbeat as she read the letter.

_Dear Katara,_

_I don’t know if I’m saving the world, but I have been busy with my new team. Thank you for your advice, it confirms Toph’s suspicions. She’s stayed with me the past month to feel everyone out, though I think she’ll be heading to Omashu soon._

_I’m glad to hear you are enjoying your time in Ba Sing Se. I can’t imagine living in the city again. Though I suspect it would be quite a different experience living there as Fire Lord Zuko rather than Lee the tea server. Speaking of which, I hope Uncle isn’t being too overbearing either._

_The education reform has been slower than I hoped. I definitely will ask Amarok for his support. I could use all the help I can get with my council these days._

_I hope to see you soon as well. I haven’t decided if I would host another gala this year. Mother thinks I should, but you know I don’t care for all the pomp and circumstance. Although, if it gives us a reason for a reunion, it might be worth it (even if Sokka eats his weight in Komodo chicken again)._

_Yours,_

_Zuko_

For the next three months, they exchange letters, replying to each other as soon as a new letter comes in. Katara wonders if she appears eager, if she should wait a day or two before replying, but can never contain herself when a new letter comes in. Fortunately, she lives alone in Ba Sing Se, so she knows no one can judge her for writing Zuko more often than anyone else. It will be a different story when she returns to the South Pole for six months, but she still has a little bit of time to worry about that.

She’s thrilled when Zuko decides to host a birthday party, though she can only take a few days away from Ba Sing Se for the celebration. She’s surprised but excited when Aang offers to fly her back and forth on Appa. She’s grateful for the offer both for the time saved and for the promise that Aang and her will be ok as friends again.

(She only feels slightly guilty for feeling so excited to see Zuko when Aang is the one taking her. Well, maybe more than slightly.)

She hates how little time she gets to spend with Zuko. It seems at every turn one of them is whisked away by someone else, some dignitary or fellow ambassador or even just Sokka being Sokka. She desperately clings to Zuko during each of the three dances they share, praying that each one will last forever, but they each end too quickly for her liking.

She wonders why Toph doesn’t bring it up, why she stays silent when Katara’s heart is clearly about to pound out of her chest, but for some reason Toph doesn’t say a thing. Katara is highly suspicious but is in no position to look this gift ostrichhorse in the mouth.

She has to leave the day after Zuko’s party with only another hug from him, and then Aang whisks her away again, but she feels like she’s left a part of herself in Caldera.

The next three years pass like this, with rushed reunions and lengthy letters in between. He tells her about the progress he makes in passing policies, about sparring with Suki, about visits from Aang and Sokka and Toph.

She tells him about her growing appreciation for the climate of Ba Sing Se, about his Uncle’s efforts to teach her Pai Sho, about her struggle to find her place in the world.

 _I thought,_ she wrote, _that when I accepted being Ambassador that it was the perfect solution. Six months at home with my family, and six months away doing good in the world. Only now I’m finding that by splitting my time between two places, neither one really feels like home anymore._

He wrote back with his usual brand of Zuko-ness; awkward but trying to be understanding and somehow exactly what she needed to hear.

 _I know it’s not the same,_ he replied, _but when I came home during the war, after Ba Sing Se, it didn’t feel like home anymore. I had to learn that home isn’t always a place, but sometimes its people. Its why I’m glad Suki and the other Kyoshi Warriors agreed to serve as my personal guard, why I’m always so glad to see you and our friends. Who is home to you?_

 _You,_ she wants to reply, but doesn’t.

When she is in the Southern Water Tribe next, Pakku drops twice as many hints about her marrying after her Ambassador term is over than he has before. Its so bad even her Dad starts dropping hints. She finally loses it when Sokka says something over dinner. She snaps at her family that she would marry whoever she wanted whenever she wanted and that the next person who so much as _thought_ about bringing the topic up would be waterbended into next week. No one directly spoke to her the rest of the week, except Gran Gran (who thought it was hilarious), which was perfectly fine with Katara.

She sees Zuko in Omashu for a trade summit not long after. She spends the entire conference thinking of ways to tell him “I feel at home when I’m with you” but when she actually gets time alone with him, what comes out instead is a story about Pentapox from the war that she’s sure he’s heard before.

She heads back to Ba Sing Se by airship after the trade summit and finds she is moodier than usual. She doesn’t know what to do about it, and finally ends up in the Jasmine Dragon after a week of brooding, hoping that Uncle would have some advice that would actually make sense.

(She thinks she started referring to him as _Uncle_ instead of _Iroh_ right around the time she realized she wanted to make a home with Zuko. Iroh is thrilled though, and never corrects her.)

By the time Iroh has a plate of pastries and a kettle of tea in front of her, Katara feels a little better. Just being in his presence has a calming effect, though she still feels a tension in her head she can’t quite release.

“My dear, I like to think I’ve learned to understand you over the years,” he began in between sips of tea, “and from the looks of it, you seem rather distressed.”

Katara sipped her tea, quietly trying to arrange her thoughts into some sort of order, but when she opened her mouth she was shocked at what came out.

“I think I’m in love with your nephew.”

Iroh stiffened and he stared at her with a blank expression for several minutes. Katara could feel heat rising in her cheeks at her embarrassment at blurting something like that out, in front of _Iroh_ no less (the biggest gossip in the city), but she still felt a relief wash over her. She hadn’t been able to put it into words until that moment, but she realized that _home_ feeling she was looking for was _love,_ and she loved Zuko.

_She loved him._

It was freeing, to be able to admit to herself that the crush she had been harboring had blossomed into something more, but in the next moment she felt crushed by the weight of another realization.

_Even IF Zuko feels the same, his people would never accept a waterbender as their Fire Lady._

Iroh must catch the shift in her face from embarrassed but happy to sad because he finally speaks up.

“Why does this cause you distress? Personally, I think a little more love in the world is never a bad thing,” he quietly asked. Katara cocked an eyebrow in question. Why wasn’t Iroh making a bigger deal of this? Squealing about wedding planning or grandbabies or something? This quiet reaction only compounded Katara’s fears about Zuko being unable to return her feelings.

“Even if Zuko did feel the same, and I’m not sure that he does, I can’t imagine the world would be ready for a relationship between the Fire Lord and a peasant waterbender,” she quietly explained, her gaze falling to her lap as she spoke. She looked up when Iroh scoffed.

“You are anything but a peasant! You are a Master of your element! An Ambassador to the Earth King! A trusted advisor not only to the Avatar but to the Fire Lord! And like I said,” he managed to take a calming breath before continuing, “a little more love in the world is never a bad thing,” he finished with a wink.

Katara blinked at him three times before she found her voice. “So… you think I should tell him?”

Iroh stroked his beard in thought, though it seemed like his focus had shifted back to their Pai Sho match. “Tell him or not, that’s up to you. But you shouldn’t let fear of the unknown keep you from pursuing your own happiness,” he offered, before promptly changing the topic to her most recent trip to the Southern Water Tribe.

Katara felt more confused than ever, but Iroh’s wisdom often left her that way. But when she received her formal invitation to the seventh annual peace treaty conference, this year being hosted in Caldera, along with a note from Zuko saying he was excited to see her, Katara made up her mind. She would tell him her feelings, if only so she could confirm if he felt the same way.

She made plans to stay a week after the conference to enjoy some time off before heading back to Ba Sing Se. Throughout the whole week she kept looking for opportunities to speak to Zuko alone, but again they kept getting pulled in opposite directions. Luckily, the night before she is scheduled to leave Toph finds her after dinner and suggests she spend some time bending in the gardens before bed.

“I hear the turtleducks are pretty cute,” she explained, “not that I know what they look like, but you know, for those of you who can see, I guess they are adorable.”

Katara thought it was a strange thing for Toph to say, but when Zuko stumbles into the gardens shortly after, hanging back to watch as she idly bends, she is thankful for whatever has caused Toph’s weird mood.

“Did you need something Fire Lord? Or did you want to stand there all night?” she called out teasingly.

He cleared his throat and sat on the bench beside her, pulling out a loaf of bread. “Would you like to feed the turtleducks with me?”

She smiled and returned her tendril of water to the pond. She accepted half of the loaf and began breaking it up into smaller pieces to toss to the small creatures. They sat in silence for a few moments, throwing morsels to the turtleducks, before he spoke up. “I used to do this with my mom. You know when I was a kid.”

She turned towards him slightly, a small smile tugging at her lips. “And now?”

He let out a huff of laughter. “I can’t remember the last time I had a moment like this. A moment to just… be.”

She nodded carefully, turning back to the pond. “Yeah, I think I know what you mean.”

They sat in silence again as they finished feeding the turtleducks. Katara felt her nerves growing, but she did her best to enjoy the comfortable quiet between them. Until Zuko spoke up again.

“Katara, uhm, there’s something I wanted to talk to you about. Actually, something I’ve wanted to say for a while now. I just- I….” he trailed off, and Katara did her best to fight the hope welling in her chest, to ignore the way her heart fluttered at his nervousness. She reached over and squeezed his leg for reassurance. He gave her a small smile and took her hand in one of his, gently holding it. She was never more grateful that he couldn’t read heartbeats like her or Toph.

“You can’t tell Sokka or Aang this, but you know you’re my best friend, right?”

Katara laughed, because how could she not? She was ready to confess her love and here he is confirming that she’s his friend, just his friend, before noticing the serious expression he still wore. She took a breath to calm herself. “Yes, Zuko, and you’re my best friend as well. Why? Is something wrong?”

She watched as he took a deep breath and closed his eyes.

“Katara, I’m in love with you,” and she barely catches his quiet words over the ringing in her ears and the pounding of her heart. “I have been, for a long time, but I understand that you don’t feel the same. I didn’t want to bring it up, because I didn’t want to risk losing your friendship, but I think a part of me needed to tell you, needed to hear you don’t feel the same, so I could start moving on, because Agni Katara I can’t imagine loving anyone but you, but-”

She cut him off with a kiss. She didn’t realize she was kissing him until he was kissing her back but of course she was kissing him. She would kiss him every minute of every day if he let her because he loved her and she loved him and her heart was singing. She reached up and placed her free hand on the back of his neck, and his free hand made its way to her waist, pulling her closer. She felt a warmth building in her stomach, fire spreading through her veins, and it was perfect until it was suddenly too much, so she pulled back, their chests heaving, and asked him, “Who ever said I don’t feel the same?”

He stared at her with a blank expression and it was all she could do to keep from laughing again. “But- but I- I mean, you’re _you_ and I’m _me_ and how could I hope for someone like you to love someone like me?”

She rolled her eyes but internally smiled and shifted closer to him. “I thought we left self-deprecating Zuko behind a long time ago.”

He ducked his head, and it was absolutely _adorable_ the way his face flushed. “Uh- well, I mean, there’s some things I feel more confident about, you know, like my duties as Fire Lord, but you?”

She tilted his chin up to meet her eyes, her tone suddenly even and almost stern. “Don’t tell me you’ve gone and put me on a pedestal as well, Fire Lord.”

She watched the recognition wash over his face. Zuko was one of the few people who knew the reasons she and Aang had broken up all those years ago. Aang had idealized Katara, and when she acted differently than his expectations, they fought.

“No!” he blurted, then took a deep breath. “I mean, no, I recognize you are a complex person who gets emotional but only when it’s about something important. I know you have flaws, Katara, but I love your flaws just as much as your strengths, because they make you, you. If we’re running with the pedestal metaphor, I probably just… dig myself into a hole?”

“And why do you think that is?” she asked, her tone shifting from stern to mothering.

“Because you chose Ba Sing Se over here and I figured that was because you didn’t want to be with me,” he blurted out.

She felt her eyebrows furrow as she pulled back a little to look at him. “You’ve been in love with me for four years and are just now telling me?”

“Uh- well, yes? Well, I’ve probably been in love with you for longer than that, but that was the first time I put a name to it.”

She frowned at him but her hand found its way to his chest, fingertips grazing before resting over the star-shaped scar she knew was hidden beneath his robes. She had often wondered if _that scar_ meant more, meant as much as she hoped it did.

She took a deep breath as she tried to put into words what had shaped her decision four years ago. “Zuko, I chose to serve in Ba Sing Se because I needed to reestablish myself as… as me. Over the years I was with Aang, I hated feeling like I was nothing more than the Avatar’s girlfriend. Like everything I did during the war didn’t matter because it was all for Aang.” She looked up at him as she moved her hand from his chest to the scar on his face. “I chose Ba Sing Se because I was afraid of my feelings for you, afraid that if I came here I would make the same mistakes and become nothing more than the Fire Lord’s girlfriend. I never told you because I figured you would end up with some Fire Nation noblewoman, someone who your minister’s would love and your nation would accept.”

And there it was, all her confusion and fears out in the universe.

“I don’t care what my minister’s think. I told them, before Omashu, that I wanted to marry someone I love, not someone they pick for me,” he told her.

She felt that well of hope springing back up, but still she fought it. “You did?” she whispered.

He nodded. “Toph and Aang were there.”

So that was one less thing to worry about, but still- “And your nation?”

“I think,” he took a breath, “I think my people would be happy if I was happy. I think they would accept someone who would fight for them. Who would never turn her back on them.”

She couldn’t fight the well anymore, and she wondered if she could explode from happiness. “Zuko, why didn’t you ask me how I felt?”

She felt a shiver run down her spine when he reached up to push a loose curl out of her face. “Like I said, I thought because you chose Ba Sing Se, it meant you didn’t love me.”

“And now?”

“Now…I’m not so sure I know anything after all.”

She laughed again, this time feeling free and happy and loved, and let her hand find its way to the back of his neck. “Why don’t you ask me now?”

He took a deep breath and let it out. “Katara, I’m in love with you. How do you feel about me?”

“I think you’re pretty alright,” she teased, but he looked like he was going to pass out, so she quickly corrected herself. “No, Zuko, I think you’re amazing. And I’m in love with you, too.”

She loved the way his whole face lit up when he smiled at her. “You love me?”

She smiled back. “I do.”

“I love you too.”

And then he kissed her, and she kissed him back, and she was happier than she had been in years.

Eventually she pulled back, both of their breathing heavy, but still held onto him. “So what happens now?”

She shivered again as his fingers trailed along her face and neck. “Whatever you want. I think I’m still in shock that you actually love me.”

She gave him a look that she hoped conveyed her distaste for his self-loathing. “I do love you.”

He closed his eyes. “I never let myself consider the possibilities but… I want to be with you, Katara. And I hope you know I would never let anyone dishonor you by calling you anything but Master Katara.”

“You do know aaaalllll about honor, don’t you?” She teased and he groaned, rolling his eyes. “But really, Zuko, I know you wouldn’t. Like I said, my mistakes with Aang were my mistakes. I feel confident I won’t make them again. Besides, I rather like the idea of being your girlfriend.”

“You do?” he asked as his eyes widened slightly, and she laughed.

“Yes, as long as that’s ok with you?”

“Spirits yes it’s more than alright! It’s amazing!” and she laughed again before kissing him.

Eventually they had to separate and head to bed. She claimed he needed to get some sleep but really she knew if she didn’t walk away now, she never would be able to.

She still had to leave the next day for Ba Sing Se, but she kissed him goodbye on the docks in front of everyone. She knew she was responsible for the blush that spread across his face but he didn’t complain and she didn’t care. He loved her, and she loved him, and it would all be ok.

Their letters picked back up in between quick meetings and stolen moments. He doesn’t ask about her plans for the future, but she’s already made up her mind. The year passes in a happy blur, and before she knows it they are all back in Ba Sing Se for the eighth annual peace treaty conference.

Zuko seemed surprised when Katara declined to renew her term as an Ambassador (a happy change from the last time his face fell when her choice was announced). She waited for him to bring it up, and he finally does after the conference, as they stand on the balcony of his Uncle’s tea shop.

“So what happens now?” he parroted her words from a year ago. She looked up at him and let her fingers run through his loose hair.

“I think I’d like to focus on healing now. There’s always people that are hurt, or sick, that I can help.”

She smiled as he ducked his head, never sick of the flush that runs across his face when he is adorably nervous. “There’s people like that in the Fire Nation….”

She made a show of pretending to mull it over, tapping the corner of her mouth in thought. “There are, aren’t there?”

He quickly nodded, and she can’t help the smile that’s tugging at her lips. “There are. I think there are a lot of people in the Fire Nation that could benefit from your healing.”

She touched his scar then, gently caressing it. “And you?”

“I think you could heal me far better than anyone else.”

She grinned before pulling him in for a kiss. “Just to be clear, you are asking me to move in with you, right?”

He blushed and started stammering, clearly reading too much into what she had said. “I mean, uhm, you know, you don’t have to move into my rooms, I mean! I want you to, eventually, but not before you’re ready-”

She laughed and cut him off again. “Zuko, do you want me to move into the palace?”

He nodded and she smiled at him. “Ok, then I’ll come home with you.”

She moves into the room across the hall from his. It makes it easier when they start sharing a bed for them to sneak back and forth, though she swears up and down that wasn’t why she picked the room in the first place.

She does more than just healing. Sure, she makes rounds of the hospitals in the capitals, but she also visits schools and orphanages. She even creates a self-defense school program and teaches classes twice a week on hand to hand combat. She develops her own style of fighting, a blend of Kyoshi style with her own bending. Her favorite days are when Zuko comes to watch because she can rope him into demonstrations.

They find time for each other whenever they can. Their relationship only grows stronger with her being in the palace, and she finally starts to believe that they can make this work, that they can do this. His people have welcomed her with open arms. Maybe its because she heals the sick or teaches them to fight for themselves or because she fights for the impoverished, but if she didn’t know any better, she’d think Zuko’s people _want_ her to be Fire Lady.

She loves finding little moments throughout the day to be with him, whether its small smiles over breakfast or shared sighs when they do paperwork in his office or happy silence when they walk in the gardens after dinner each night. Though she never brings it up, she knows if he asks she would stay forever.

(She thinks he might be planning something, after all he starts acting a little funny after his birthday, but she doesn’t want to get her hopes up for nothing.)

Katara forgets about his weirdness when their friends come to visit. She’s delighted to have everyone in the palace for a reunion that doesn’t involve politics. With all of her friends, no her _family,_ with her are her favorite days of all.

She’s glad that Zuko still asks her to go for their post-dinner walk around the garden, happy that they can still keep their little tradition going even amidst the chaos of their friends. She tells him about one of her patients as they head outside, about how the nurse had fallen in love with him. “I really hope they can make it work! They are so adorable together and I think they really care about each other and-”

She stops abruptly at the entrance of the gardens, finally realizing something was different. All around them were metal lanterns decorated with patterns of stars, moons and suns. She blinked a few times at the lights, a small smile creeping onto her face. She wondered if he was going to… but wouldn’t he have brought it up first? She turned to him with a confused look on her face. “Zuko, what is this?”

He just took her hand and pulled her along. “C’mon, the best part is by the turtleduck pond.”

The closer they got to the pond in the center, the more the lanterns were weaved together with fresh flowers, exotic cuts from all over the Fire Nation. In the lamplight the gardens looked ethereal, like something from the Spirit World. She felt her eyes widen as she took in the sights, spinning around the pond. “Oh Zuko! This is all so beautiful! But why-”

She cut herself off when she saw him holding back. He looked so nervous, and her heart started pounding with excitement. “Do you like it?”

“Like it? I love it! I’m just wondering why you would go to such trouble?”

He smiled and shook his head, stepping forward to take her hand. She let her fingers intertwine with his. “I had help.”

She cocked her eyebrow, suspicion creeping into her features. She was almost certain but she needed him to say it. “But why….?”

He cleared his throat and squeezed her hand. “I love you, Katara, and I thank Agni every day that you love me too. You’ve done so much for me, for my people, and I can never thank you enough. I can only hope that I’m enough for you.”

He got down on one knee, still holding her hand, and pulled out the small box from his robes. She wasn’t sure when she started shaking, or crying, but she didn’t let her eyes drift from his as she wiped a tear from her face.

“Katara, will you marry me?”

She nodded, tears fully streaming down her face. “Oh Zuko, yes, yes!” she squealed. She got on the ground with him and kissed him. She finally pulled back and looked down at the open box.

“A ring?” she asked.

He nodded and pulled the ring out of the box to place it on her hand. “I wouldn’t dare replace your mother’s necklace, and Sokka said that’s more of a Northern Tradition anyway. And your dad said you probably wouldn’t want a tigerseal either.”

She laughed as she admired the ring on her finger. It was beautiful, a perfect combination of them. He had picked a dainty band that swirled to meet a ruby and a sapphire side by side. Small diamonds started on the swirls leading up to the two stones.

She smiled up at him, her cheeks already hurting but she didn’t care. “Zuko it’s perfect. Spirits, _you’re_ perfect for me.”

He grinned and kissed her, pulling her close. It was at that moment that their friends chose to emerge from the shadows, announced by Toph letting out a loud whoop.

Zuko broke the kiss, letting his forehead rest on Katara’s. “I suppose I deserve their interruption, given that I roped them into helping me pull this off.”

Katara laughed and pulled him up to greet everyone who was wishing them congratulations.

She hugged everyone extra tight, thanking them for helping Zuko pull off the surprise. She only had to glare at Sokka once when he made a joke about Zuko earning Sokka’s permission. Suki had rolled her eyes and squeezed her tightly at that.

Aang had whispered, “I’m really happy for you Katara,” and she almost started crying again but managed to keep it together.

Suki starts asking her about wedding planning (something Katara definitely has not thought about at all, Spirits she _just_ got engaged), when Zuko comes back over and picks her up to spin her around. She yelps but finds she can’t fight the laughter bubbling out of her as he sets her back down.

“What was that for?” she asked, breathless from the spinning.

“You just make me so happy I can’t help myself.”

Katara rolled her eyes but planted a kiss on his cheek before turning back to Suki. She laced her hand with his and pulled him in the conversation.

Katara didn’t know what would happen to them, tomorrow or in twenty years. But as she looked around the circle of her little family, with the love of her life beside her, she knew that no matter what, it would all be alright. She had found her home after all.

She squeezed Zuko’s hand again as she started talking about their future together.

**Author's Note:**

> Any reviews/commentary is much appreciated!!!!!  
> Also come say hi on tumblr @gemgirl28


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